Hurricane
by Coraline15
Summary: With the Keyblade War having finally come to an end, Sora and his friends decide to take a long deserved vacation at the Destiny Islands. However, the islands may once again be under threat as the friends will soon realize the true power and dangers of a tropical storm. (Rated for drama and suspense)


Hurricane

**_Disclaimers: All Kingdom Hearts characters are owned by Disney and Square Enix and are all copied without permission. I have made this story for fun and not profit._**

Writer's Note: This was something that came to mind after hearing about the approaching hurricane that was set to hit the Bahama Islands and the East Coast.. In context, I'm not sure why it inspired me this idea in the first place.. However, I couldn't stop thinking about it.. And so, I decided to write this story.. I apologize if some of the characters may be a bit out of character, but I still hope you all enjoy it anyway. (Rated for drama and suspense)

***One-Shot***

The gentle sounds of waves echoed through the morning air as the water lapped against the sun bleached shores of the Destiny Islands. Sora, Riku and Kairi made their way along the sandy shoreline. They had missed being on the islands. It seemed like they hadn't been there in years. Kairi couldn't help drawing in the cool air as she stretched and smile.

"It feels good to be back here." she smiled.

Sora turned to her and smiled.

"I'm just glad everyone made it back," he replied. "I was worried when everyone disappeared into darkness like they did."

Riku turned to his friend.

"I'd say you were more than just worried.." he replied. "You had a complete meltdown.."

"Hey, it's not my FAULT!" Sora frowned, his face becoming a soft shade of pink. "I thought I'd never SEE them again!"

"Well, we're all here now, aren't we?" said Riku.

Sora glowered in response.

"C'mon, you two," Kairi cut in, interrupting the argument. "Let's not think about what happened."

"Yeah," Sora agreed, his cloudy disposition vanishing in an instant. "We're here to relax."

Riku sighed and crossed his arms as soon turned his attention toward the docks.

"They should be here soon." he stated after a moment or so.

Sure enough, the trio could just make out the outline of a small boat making its way toward the shoreline. Sora was the first to quicken his pace toward the docks just as a familiar trio pulled to the side of the main dock.

"Hey, " Axel smiled. "So how're our fellow guardians doin'?"

"Hey guys." Sora smiled.

"Glad you could make it." Riku said with a slight grin.

Axel smiled back as he began tying the boat up to the dock.

Sora made his way over to them.

"Hayner, Pence, and Olette couldn't make it?" he asked.

Roxas shrugged.

"They had to work.." he replied. "The bistro's gotten really busy.. Since it's the summer and all."

Roxas slowly stood from his seat, instinctively grabbing onto one of the tie-offs to keep from falling over.

"Whoa!"

Xion took hold of Roxas's arm to keep him steady.

"Careful." she said.

"T-thanks.." Roxas muttered, his face becoming a soft rosy color.

He soon helped Xion out of the boat where Kairi pulled her into a tight hug.

"Xion! It's good to see you."

Xion smiled and returned the hug.

"I'm glad to see you too." she replied.

"So, where's Ventus?" asked Axel, helping Roxas with the supplies.

"They couldn't make it," Riku replied, helping as well. "Terra, Aqua, and Ven are taking over where Master Eraqus had left off in mentoring future Keybladers."

"I'm so happy for them," Kairi smiled. "To think.. Training to be Keyblade wielders and now their training others to be wielders."

"Yeah, well.." Axel muttered, glancing away. "Hope everything works out."

Sora was about to speak up when the ringing of his Gummi Phone caused him to jump. He reached into his pocket and answered the incoming call.

"Sora, thank goodness!" Chip said from the other end.

"What's up Chip?" Sora asked.

"Don't tell me it's the Heartless acting up again, we just GOT here.." Axel groaned, a bit annoyed.

"Thankfully, it's not darkness or Heartless." said Chip.

"Then what?" asked Axel.

"There's a STORM comin' your way, and it looks like a BAD one!" said Dale, jumping up and down frantically.

"A storm?" said Sora.

He glanced around.

"The sky seems clear right now." he added, confused.

"It might seem clear NOW, but the storm is definitely getting STRONGER." Chip replied.

"Are you sure?" asked Riku.

"Ienzo and Namine are working on the exact location right now." said Chip. "They said it could be in a few hours."

"A few hours?" said Roxas. "But how do we know that for SURE?"

"We should warn everyone in TOWN!" Sora said, now rather concerned.

"Not to worry," Dale replied. "We will let the town know."

"Yeah, you guys just make sure to stay safe and be careful." Chip agreed.

"Thanks guys," Sora replied. "I guess we'll talk later."

Sora hung up and sighed.

"Now what?" said Roxas.

"Well, we have a few hours right?" said Axel. "Then, we can do what we can until the storm hits."

Axel was in the process of picking up more supplies from the back of the boat, when his foot caught on the rope holding the boat to the dock. He let out a cry of shock as he toppled over the edge of the dock with a splash. Everyone hurried over to the edge of the dock. They saw the now completely soaked tent floating about in the water. Axel sat up in the water. His once slicked back spiky hair now hung over his face as it became plastered to his head and neck.

Sora and Roxas couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight as Axel glowered up at them. Riku for his part, managed to refrain from laughing, though he shook his head with a slight chuckle while Kairi and Xion did their best not to join in.

After recovering a bit, Sora and Roxas made their way over to Axel.

"Here." Sora said, reaching over the side of the dock.

Axel begrudgingly took hold of Sora's hand, before giving him a devious smile and pulling Sora from the edge of the dock.

"HEY!"

It was the last thing Sora said before landing in the water beside Axel. In an effort to stay balanced, Sora had grabbed onto Roxas, pulling him in as well. It was at this point, Riku, Kairi, and Xion burst into laughter.

Now completely soaked, Sora and Roxas both gave Axel an unimpressed look. Roxas wiped his now soaking wet hair from his eyes before giving Axel a dark look. His mouth slowly became a devious grin as he summoned his Keyblade with Sora following suit. The Keyblades began to glow and slowly, several spheres of sea-water separated from the rest and hovered beside them.

Axel looked at the two with an uneasy smile.

"Now, let's be reasonable.."

"Too late.." Roxas grinned darkly.

Then, all at once, the duo began to simultaneously fling the spheres of water at Axel. Axel in response raised his arms up to keep the water from hitting him in the face. When that failed, Axel in return began to do what he could to return the splashing, even when he was outmatched by the duo. As the trio continued their water fight, Riku could only stand there and shake his head.

"Guess we're getting things set up then.." he muttered, mostly to himself.

He made his way over to the side of the dock and using his own Keyblade, he lifted the sopping wet tent out of the water.

"We'll leave those three to their ga-"

Riku was cut off as he was hit in the face with the water. Almost immediately, Axel, Sora, and Roxas stopped what they were doing. Sora, who had thrown the water now looked visibly nervous.

_'Uh-oh..'_

Riku stared at the three as he slowly wiped away a lock of hair from his face.

"Alright.. You asked for it.."

He turned to Kairi and Xion as he summoned his Keyblade.

"How about we even the odds?"

Kairi and Xion soon smiled as they two summoned their Keyblades. The water around Sora, Roxas, and Axel began to ripple as Riku, Kairi and Xion's Keyblades began to glow and soon a large wave of water came crashing down on them.

The six friends continued their water battle for about an hour or so, until the fight ended in a draw. They had since then returned to the shoreline, allowing themselves to dry off a bit before gathering up the supplies they had; a tent a few sleeping bags, and some food. With the sudden call from Chip and Dale, Sora knew they may have been unprepared for the storm. They would have to make do with what they had.

Sora stood near the shore as he gazed out to the horizon. Already, he could see the dark foreboding rain clouds approaching them from the distance. He slowly lowered his gaze toward the sea, taking notice of the water had become much more choppy than it would on any usual day on the islands. A chill ran through him as he began to hear a noise which had begun to develop into a howling and growling roar. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of the swirling clouds over the horizon, noticing the sky becoming darker by the minute.

Roxas soon joined him, gazing up at the darkening sky.

"When do you think it'll hit?" he asked.

Sora turned to look at him.

"I'm not sure.." he replied. "I mean, we've had storms before.. But.."

He looked back toward the horizon. Roxas soon did the same, the duo watching the sky for a few moments before Sora spoke up.

"C'mon, we should get ready."

Roxas turned to him and nodded. The duo soon hurried toward the docks to find the others were gathering up what supplies had been left in the boat.

"Guys, the storm's almost here." Roxas said, coming to a stop near the docks.

Riku and the others turned to see the swirl of clouds over the horizon.

"Well then, we'd better hurry." Axel stated. "Don't wanna get caught in that."

The others nodded and began doubling their efforts into getting everything together. As they were finishing their work, they could feel the wind beginning to pick up around them. Sora glanced up at the sky and froze.

"Sora?" asked Roxas. "What's..?"

Roxas trailed off as he stared up at the sky, the others following suit. They stared on in shock and horror. The sky had become a pure black as the dark clouds loomed overhead. Riku felt a drop of rain land on his head, followed by another and another. It started slow, but soon began to increase at an alarming rate. Bits of shrubbery and tree branches had at this point broken free and were being tossed about all around them.

High above them, lightning streaked across the blackened sky with a blinding flash, catching the six friends off guard. It was shortly followed by an enormous thunderclap that shook the very ground they stood on.

As the wind picked up around them, Riku nearly had to shout to be heard.

"We have to find shelter!"

Gathering everything they could carry, the six friends hurried toward the closest available shelter.. The secret caves behind the waterfall.

Riku led everyone into the small tunnel. Axel hesitated as he peered into the tunnel, finding it may be a tight fit. Regardless of this, Axel quickly made his way into the tunnel. He made his way through the narrow tunnel, being careful not to hit his head on the low ceiling.

"We should be safe for now." Riku said.

"Quite a place ya got here." Axel commented.

"Thanks." Sora replied, getting through their supplies.

"This is called 'The Secret Place'." Riku added.

Axel and Roxas gave him an unamused look while Xion looked on in confusion.

"Seriously?" said Axel, giving Riku a half-lidded stare.

"Sora's the one who made up the name." Riku responded with a shrug.

"There's a shocker.." Roxas replied, rolling his eyes

"Hey, it's all I could think of at the time!" Sora stated, defensively.

"Well, in any case," started Riku. "We should be safe here until the storm dies down."

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from outside.

"W-what was THAT!?" Xion asked, now becoming rather uneasy.

"I'm not sure." said Roxas.

"It sounds like one of the trees or maybe some of the stuff built around the island." Riku replied.

The six friend jumped as another loud crash filled the air.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The six friends sat within the small cavern that made up the 'Secret Place' doing what they could with what they had in the makeshift shelter. Outside, they could hear the wind howling as thunder echoed through the air. Xion shivered as she moved back against the nearby wall. Roxas gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up. Roxas gave her a reassuring smile to which she returned with a weak smile of her own.

Time seemed to go by slowly as they remained huddled inside the cave, wondering when they should head back to the mainland. All the while, Sora couldn't help but to think of everyone else on the mainland. He couldn't help but wonder how they were holding up in the storm. Sora was soon snapped from his thoughts as he noticed something..

"Hey, do you guys hear that?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened.. It was completely silent.. There was no sound from outside. The wind, the thunder, and the rain had gone completely silent.

"Looks like the storm's over." Axel stated in surprise.

He slowly rose to his feet, thankful that the ceiling was just high enough that he didn't risk hitting his head. Riku, Sora, and Axel made their way through the tunnel with the others following close behind them. Axel was the first to peek outside. Palm trees had either been snapped in half or blown over. Broken pieces of wood and shrubbery lay strewn about the ground, much of which was under water.

As they exited the tunnel, they looked all around them. They could see ominous black storm clouds ringing the horizon while strangely, they could make out the clear night sky just above them.

"This is.. Weird.." Roxas breathed out, unsure of what he was seeing.

"We should get everything together." said Riku. "We should get to the mainland if we hurry."

He proceeded toward the dock, when Sora stopped him.

"I don't like this.." he muttered. "Something's wrong.."

Just as Sora said this, the silence was once again broken by the sound of the wind growing louder.

"We have to HURRY!" Riku instructed.

Sora suddenly tackled Riku to the ground just in time to avoid being struck by debris. The wind roared loudly around them as wood and debris were blown about around them. Roxas jumped as an clap of thunder echoed from all around them. He turned just in time to see the bits of wood and whatever trees that had remained standing beginning to buckle until the roots came loose. In a panic, Roxas took cover. There was a loud, ear-splitting crash as something struck ground behind him before he felt a sharp pain rip through his arm and shoulder. Roxas reeled back in agony and cringed as he reached up to the splintering wood, which had caught him in the arm. Gritting his teeth, Roxas managed to pull the largest of the pieces out before painfully standing up.

"Roxas!"

Xion hurried to her friend, concern evident on her face. Roxas looked up at her, wanting to assure her he was alright. However, he froze as he heard the unmistakable sound splintering of wood.

"Xion!"

Xion spun around and stared in horror as the rather large palm tree crashing down toward her. Thinking quickly, Axel ran toward her, shoving her to the side. Xion let out a grunt of pain as she hit the ground with a thud. As she recovered, she turned in shock and was horrified to see Axel lying his belly, the trunk of the massive tree now pinning him to the ground!

"AXEL!"

Ignoring his own pain, Roxas hurried to his friend's aid and began to try and push the tree off, his feet sliding uselessly through the sand and mud.

"Axel! Axel, hang ON!" Roxas shouted over the raising wind.

Roxas continued to struggle as Sora, Kairi and Riku ran over to help him lift the tree off their friend.

"We'll get you OUT! Just hang ON!" Sora insisted, continuing to try and move the tree.

Axel let out a strangled cough as he clenched his eyes shut. He tried to speak, but found he could barely breathe.

After recovering from her shock, Xion rose to her feet and hurried over to them, putting all her strength into freeing her friend. Very slowly, the tree began to move. As the five got the tree to move, Kairi and Riku let go, taking hold of Axel's arms and began trying to pull him out from beneath it. After a few agonizing moments, Axel was pulled free.

Taking in a deep breath, Axel doubled over in agony. He coughed and shuddered as he clenched his eyes shut. Lightning streaked across the blackened sky as the heavy rain fell upon them. There was a loud crash of thunder that shook the very ground beneath them. It was at that moment they noticed the water was now up to their ankles and was increasing with every passing minute.

"We need to get to higher GROUND!" Riku shouted.

The six friends hurried toward one of the nearby ladders leading up to the group of tree-houses. Roxas and Xion eased Axel up, allowing him to lean against them for support as they followed close behind their friends. As they trudged through the rising water, there was a loud splintering of wood as one of the structures near them was torn to shreds. Bits of the nearby dock and structures around them were torn from the ground, sending slabs of broken wood into the air. Using his Keyblade, Riku managed to knock the debris away, shielding the others from possible injury. He suddenly felt a sharp pain as something struck him, knocking him to the ground. Sora spun around and ran to his aid.

"Riku!"

Riku was on his hands and knees, clutching at his face in agony. When Riku looked up, Sora was horrified to see the large gash just above his eye where he had been struck. Riku could feel the warm blood slipping down his face.

"We have to keep GOING!" Riku shouted.

Sora wanted to protest but reluctantly nodded. They hurried after the others, who were now making their way up to safety.

As they were making their way up to the tree-house, a massive wave crashed into the lower sections of the tree-house. Sora let out a yelp as part of the lower platforms leading to the tree-house broke free and struck against the latter, snapping it into pieces, leaving Sora to hang suspended eighteen feet from the crashing ocean below them!

"SORA!" Kairi cried in horror.

Sora looked up at her, fear evident in his bright blue eyes. Kairi reached for his hand, trying her best to keep from falling.

"Sora! Take my HAND!"

Sora reached for her hand, trying his best to grip onto the waterlogged wood of the upper platform. Kairi dove forward as Sora's hand slipped from the wooden ledge, grabbing hold of his arm with both hands. It was at that moment that Kairi found herself hanging off the edge of the platform, supported only by her belly as she held onto him.

"Hang ON!" she cried to him.

"Kairi!"

Sora reached up with his free hand and took hold of her arm. Kairi could feel herself slipping. She, however, refused to let him go.

"I GOT you!"

"Sora! Kairi!" shouted Riku.

Riku hurried to their aid. With Roxas and Xion's help, Riku managed to pull the two to safety. Kairi held Sora close, relief washing over her as she hugged him tight. Sora put his arms around, doing his best to comfort her.

"We don't have much time!" Riku told them. "Let's go!"

As they continued to safety, Sora continued to hold Kairi tight, gently assuring her everything would be alright.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The tree-house shook as another crash of thunder echoed all around them. A bright flash lit up the outside world, followed by an ear-splitting crash of thunder. Sora stood near the doorway, doing his best to deflect the debris away with his Keyblade. He jumped back as a wind-blown tree limb struck the doorframe, splintering it into pieces. Xion whimpered as she sat huddled near the far wall of the tree-house. Roxas held her tight, trying his best to comfort her as she held onto him. Axel was beside them. Though he was still in pain, he refused to leave his friends' sides. He cringed at the pain in his back and chest but he assured them he would be alright. Kairi took Sora's spot at the doorway, using the magic in her Keyblade to block any debris from entering the shelter. All around them, they could hear pieces of the roof being pulled free.

Riku stood from his position near the wall and summoned his Keyblade. Sora and Kairi soon turned to look at their friend.

"Riku..?" said Sora.

"If we don't act, the shelter won't last for very long.." Riku responded. "I had been training with Merlin to enhance my magic.." he began to explain. "If we combine our magic, we may create a barrier to keep the tree-house from being torn apart.."

Sora and Kairi soon nodded and summoned their own Keyblades. Riku nodded in response and soon turned to look out into the growing storm. He soon closed his eyes, a bright shimmer of magic beginning to form around the Keyblade's tip. Kairi and Sora followed suit, their magic soon combining with Riku's. Roxas, Xion, and Axel looked on in shock as the three tendrils of magic combined into one. There was a flash of light and noise as the roar of magic seemed to match in volume to the roar of the storm outside.

It wasn't long until the surge of magic began to spread and soon, a large sphere of pulsating magic encompassed the entirety of the tree-house. Riku, Sora, and Kairi continued to do what they could to keep the protective barrier together. They could hear the thunder and wind outside was becoming more powerful by the minute, as if it were fighting against the combined friends' magic.

With one final push, the three friends managed to weave the magic, soon completing the barrier. Riku felt his head beginning to throb as he fell to his knees.

"Riku.." Sora whimpered, concerned for his friend's wellbeing.

"That.. Took more out of me.. T-than it should have.." Riku breathed, fighting to keep from collapsing.

"Riku, you need to rest.." Kairi frowned.

"I'm.. I'm fine.." Riku replied, glancing up.

Thunder echoed loudly from all around them as bits of swirling debris struck the barrier with a loud crash, causing everyone to jump. Xion let out a yelp as Roxas took her hand.

"It's okay.." he assured her. "We just need to keep the barrier up.."

Xion looked up at him, tears of fear and anxiety slipping down her cheeks.

"Hey.. Hey, it's alright.." Roxas told her, hugging her close. "We're going to be alright.."

Xion sniffled and soon nodded. Roxas responded with a soft smile and a nod of his own. Roxas soon turned to Axel, finding he was resting against the wall. Axel let out a cough and shuddered as Sora made his way over to him.

"Axel? How're you holding up?" Sora asked, kneeling beside his friend.

Axel tried to smirk but it became more of a grimace.

"A few scrapes and bruises won't be enough to slow me down." he replied.

He tried to stand up but found it rather difficult.

"You should rest.." Riku advised them. "We should ALL rest.. The barrier isn't going anywhere.. So just as long as we renew the bonding spell, it should hold out for a few hours or so."

Sora soon nodded and turned to look outside. He couldn't help but hope the storm would pass soon. He was snapped from his thoughts as another flash of lightning lit up the sky. Thunder shook the tree-house as another flash lit up the outside world. The six friends remained huddled at the center of the tree-house, noting the flashes and crashes of thunder were becoming more and more frequent. It continued in this fashion until, finally, the flashes of light and crashing of thunder went silent and the only sound was that of the rain pattering against the roof of the tree-house.

They could hear the wind still howling, though it was not as strong as it had been.

As the rain continued to fall, Sora closed his eyes as he was soon overtaken by sleep.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Droplets of water cascaded off the worn out wood with soft plips. Sora slowly sat up and looked at the others sleeping throughout the room. Kairi was beside him while Riku was asleep near the doorway. He noticed Roxas and Xion lying side by side while Axel rest against the nearby wall. Sora soon got to his feet, causing Kairi to stir. Slowly, Kairi got up and helped Sora in waking the others.

Roxas groaned as he stood up. It felt as though he had barely slept during the night but he joined in waking Axel and Xion, nonetheless.

Once everyone was awake, they made their way toward the doorway.

"That must've been some STORM.." Axel commented, painfully stretching his back.

He winced a bit as he remembered his injuries from the night before, but ignored them as he followed behind his friends. As Riku, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Axel, and Xion stepped out into the mid-morning sun, they stared on in shock as dismay at what met them.

From their vantage point outside the tree-house, they took in the sight of what remained of the island.

Much of the island had become completely submerged by sea water. The many bridges that connected led up to the tree-house were nothing more than splinters of wood. Riku turned his attention toward where the docks had once stood.. Little to nothing remained. The entire island seemed unrecognizable.

Slowly, Sora carefully made his way to the ground. His feet splashing lightly in the risen water as he made his way across the bridge to the smaller island. Riku and the others followed close behind him, carefully making their way through the debris which was hidden beneath the still knee-deep water.

Sora came to a stop where the large paopu fruit tree once stood, finding nothing more than a shattered trunk. A wave of emotion flooded Sora as he slowly reached toward the broken stump. This had been their usual spot for as long as he could remember.. And now..

He could feel tears forming in his eyes but he held them back. While the destruction of the island hurt, he knew he couldn't dwell on it. There were more important matters to take care of. He soon turned toward the others.

"We should let them know we're okay.." he muttered softly.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Citizens were gathered along the shore of the mainland, taking in the complete devastation around them. Many of the homes and buildings surrounding the area had been torn apart, much of the debris floating about in the still rather high seawater. Many of the families in the town were conducting search for any who may be missing. While the warning had gotten to them in time, it had not prepared them for what was to come.

A young woman stood near the shoreline, her heart filled with fear and anxiety as she searched for any of the missing. As she turned to look out to the sea, she froze. In the distance, she could just make out a large raft making its way toward the shoreline. Tears filled her bright blue eyes as she noticed a familiar brunette was aboard the vessel.

The raft made a soft scraping noise as it came ashore. Sora carefully made his way off the raft and stopped as he took notice of the young woman. She stared back at him as tears filled her eyes.

"M..Mom?"

It was all Sora needed to say before the woman pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Sora.." she sobbed. "Oh Sora.. You're alright.."

Sora could feel tears forming in his eyes as he hugged her back.

"Mom, it's okay.." Sora sniffed. "I'm so glad you're okay.."

Kairi and the others smiled as they watched the joyful reunion. Riku smiled as he watched them. He soon turned to look at the surrounding town, a feeling of sadness overtaking him. Riku turned toward Kairi as she took his hand. Kairi smiled softly in return before turning toward the town as well.

While they had weathered out the storm, it still was not over. There was much work to be done as many of the buildings would need a lot of work to be habitable again. They knew they had a much work ahead of them in order to give everyone a place to stay for the time being. He soon let out a sigh. He would need to talk to Master Yen Sid and the King. As Riku and his friends looked on at the devastation before them, they knew if they worked together, they would help to rebuild the town and could make it feel like home again. Even so, they knew for sure they would need all the help they could get.

_~fin_

**Author's Note: And so ends another story.. This has to be one of the longest one-shots I had ever written so far.. Also, this story is in regard of the hurricane happening right now and so, I want to give the people effected by it my complete support.. I hope you all enjoyed the story and have a great day**


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